Wayne Rooney has heaped praise on Lisandro Martinez and predicted that Manchester United captain Harry Maguire will have another big tournament for England.
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has predictions on Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez and claimed the former will have a huge World Cup while the latter will become a big player for United.
Man United signed Martinez from Ajax over the summer in a transfer deal that could rise to €65million after on-pitch performances.
A lot has been said about the Argentine’s height, with Jamie Carragher predicting that he would struggle as a centre-back with that height and Graeme Souness claiming that there’s nothing special about the ex-Ajax defender.
The Argentina international has silenced his critics with top performances for Manchester United and Rooney believes he can go on and become a big player for the Red Devils, thanks to his playing style.
“I really like Lisandro Martínez. Watching him for Manchester United recently, he is really composed and aggressive. He is perfect for international football and will be a big player for [Argentina],” said Rooney.
Harry Maguire has struggled at Manchester United in recent seasons, to which Rooney agreed to, but the former England international still believes the ex-Leicester City centre-back can have a big tournament in Qatar.
Maguire played a huge role in England’s run to 4th place finish in the 2018 World Cup and was integral in the Three Lions squad that reached 2nd in the 2020 Euro.
“I think Harry Maguire will have another big tournament. He has performed better for England than he has for Manchester United — I think he would agree — and over the last couple of years United have struggled,” Rooney told The Times.
“He hasn’t had much protection and it is no coincidence that now there is more stability in the middle of the pitch with Casemiro, Man United‘s defenders are playing better. With England, he has always had that protection.”